Meet Malcolm MacIntyre
“Do the thing and you will have the power.”
Meet Cinnamon & Oak team member Malcolm McIntyre from Vancouver, BC.
Just so we can all get to know a sliver of you really quick, share 5 things that make you, you:
I’m from the tiny village of Baddeck, in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The population there is about 800.
Yes, I’m a middle child.
I love all dogs, and have a great dane, Cabbie. Having a dog means going on lots of walks; lots of walking means lots of steps. I also love running—gotta get those steps! 🏃🏻♂️
I think you can probably accomplish that thing you’ve always wanted to accomplish. And if you tell me what that is, there’s a good chance I’ll encourage you to go after it.
I have always loved learning—whether informal environments, or through the trials and tribulations of life—I seek constantly to expand my understanding of the wide world around me, and my small place in it. For better or for worse, I consume a lot of content. 😅
Why do you do Movember? Why is it important to you?
Though I have been supporting the organization for many years, Movember hits different this year. Exactly one year ago today, I had a radical inguinal orchiectomy. The whole ordeal wasn’t as fun as it sounds.
In the early days of the pandemic, I injured myself while working out, requiring a lower-body ultrasound. The early imaging showed I had a potential hernia as well as a small mass in my testicle. Wait, what!? Now, in potential cases of testicular cancer, they don’t biopsy, they just remove it, and outcomes are extremely favourable for patients in cases where it’s identified early.
Eight months, two ultrasounds, and an MRI later, I was wheeled out of St. Paul’s Hospital after the best short sleep of my life and sent home with my partner Jenna, to wait for a phone call from the lab. In the three days that followed, the shadow of the pandemic had been supplanted by the abysmal empty pit in my stomach, as I was uncertain what life would look like in the days ahead. To say I was overjoyed when I found out it wasn’t cancer would be an understatement. To say I have two nuts, would be an overstatement. Still, I know I’m one of the lucky ones.
Through the whole ordeal I found friendship, support, and resources from some of our very own Cinnamon & Oak Mo Bros. Mitch, Justin, Jake, Sean, and Wilkes—thank you all for checking in with me along the way and for keeping straight faces while I unpacked my junk. This is why Movember is important to me.
What’s your morning routine like?
I’m one of those annoying people who seems to love mornings. I wake up before my alarm, can jump out of bed effortlessly, and be instantly alert and in a great mood with the whole day ahead of me. I’ve always been this way. Each morning I walk the dog along the side streets of Mount Pleasant, making sure I’m home with plenty of time to brew coffee and review my agenda for the day ahead.
Favourite podcast, book, documentary, etc?
If I had to pick a podcast, I’d say Making Sense with Sam Harris, however lately I’ve been absolutely crushing audiobooks (I spend most of my leisure time walking the dog, or running, and neither is easily done with Kindle in hand). Some of the audiobooks I’ve enjoyed in the past year:
Some books I’ve read (with my eyes) and enjoyed:
And my favourite documentary is:
A favourite quote or one you’re pondering right now?
“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald
The events of the past few years have fanned the flames of polarization across a broad range of topics, and we can be very quick to pick a side, sometimes without careful consideration of the perspectives of others. I try to keep this quote in mind when evaluating what’s going on in the world around me.
Another, more affirmative quote that I sometimes invoke like a mantra is:
“Do the thing and you will have the power.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
To do otherwise would be to decidedly not have the power.
In the past year, what have you done to take care of your mental health?
I consider myself lucky to have such supportive and caring friends and family, and I keep in regular contact with them, catching up over breakfast sandwiches and coffees. Knowing I’ve got people in my corner, like I do, gives me the confidence I need to share and talk things out when I need perspective, or just to be heard.
That said, I have made a couple of small optimizations in the past year that have had an outsized impact on my happiness:
Limited Instagram usage to one day a month
Prioritized sleep
It’s remarkable how much more present one can be when not mesmerized by the blue light of an LED screen that’s been supercharged by the dopamine hack of infinite scroll, and who could have possibly guessed getting eight hours of sleep might be beneficial?!
If you want to connect with me…
LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram (if you want to correspond on net 30 terms)
Donate to my campaign here»
Are you a member? Complete the form to be profiled here: